North Carolina State 23, Appalachian State 10

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- Andre Brown ran for 125 yards and a

touchdown Saturday to lead North Carolina State past Division I-AA

national champion Appalachian State 23-10 in the season opener for

both teams.

Toney Baker added 43 yards and a score for the Wolfpack, which

improved to 6-1 in openers under coach Chuck Amato. Marcus Stone

also found Darrell Blackman for a 14-yard score, while the defense

showed plenty of life after losing three NFL first-round draft

picks in the spring -- including top overall selection Mario

Williams.

That unit held Appalachian State to 133 total yards -- including

minus-5 in the third quarter when the game hung in the balance --

while forcing two turnovers and finishing with four sacks.

Kevin Richardson ran for a score for the Mountaineers, who

fought much of the way but couldn't overcome a series of costly

mistakes and remained winless in six tries against the Wolfpack.

Not that the N.C. State offense looked much better. Stone went

7-for-13 for 36 yards and a touchdown while the offense finished

with 242 total yards. The only spark came from Brown and Baker, a

double-back attack that Amato figures to rely on heavily in 2006.

Brown had a spectacular 43-yard touchdown run in the first

quarter, ending it when he leapt from about the 5-yard line and

dove for the right pylon from behind a pair of blockers for a 9-0

lead. Baker added a 9-yard score that made it 23-10 late in the

third quarter, helping the Wolfpack take firm control of the

contest as the second half wore on.

The last time the Mountaineers took the field, they walked off

with a 21-16 title-clinching win against Northern Iowa that

provided the crowning glory on what was already a brilliant legacy

for longtime coach Jerry Moore. It is the only NCAA football

championship for a North Carolina-based program.

They had several chances in this one, though their first

offensive possession turned out to foreshadow their offensive

struggles to come. After being whistled for a false start, a

shotgun snap sailed over the head of quarterback Trey Elder and

rolled into the end zone for a safety.

The Mountaineers pulled to 9-7 with a 1-yard run from

Richardson, keyed by a 39-yard catch from Dexter Jackson, late in

the first quarter. But a defensive-holding penalty on third down

extended a 10-play, 80-yard drive that ended with Blackman's score

to take the momentum right back.

The costliest mistake came after the Mountaineers returned a

fumble deep inside Wolfpack territory in the second quarter. Facing

a third-and-goal from the 5, Elder rolled to his right and had T.J.

Courman open on the right side. But instead of lobbing the ball to

the receiver, he tried to zip it past Miguel Scott, who jumped to

make an interception at the 3 and end the scoring threat.

Finally, the Mountaineers committed a pair of personal-foul

penalties on the drive that ended with Baker's TD with 5:14 left in

the third quarter.